DV-12-06 Monitoring water quality in the Georges River

Jonathan Eaton
Georges River Tidewater Association
PO Box 336
Thomaston, ME 04861
207.354.2234
jonathan.eaton3@gmail.com

The St. George River estuary has been listed as impaired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection since 2000. The reason for the impairment are dissolved oxygen levels below what is required to protect the health of fish and other organisms. According to the Georges River Tidewater Association, population growth in the watershed may have offset pollution control measures taken by developers. The pH or acid-base balance of the local water is also a concern, as the St. George estuary accounts for one-sixth of the state’s clam harvests.

Volunteers monitor basic water quality parameters in St. George River and its tributaries, including dissolved oxygen and pH (acidity), in alignment with state priorities and methods. Sea Grant funds are allowing the Association to extend monitoring through 2013 and expand to the neighboring Medomak and Weskeag rivers.

Sea Grant funds: $4,000